Ryo Okada stops Kazuma Sone, wins Shooto bantamweight title

Ryo Okada stops Kazuma Sone, wins Shooto bantamweight title

The first Shooto even of 2019 took place at the Korakuen Hall last weekend. In the main event Ryo Okada snatched the bantamweight title from Kazuma Sone courtesy of a first round stoppage.

Sone (23-17) was last seen losing to Yuki Motoya at Rizin 12. He was back in the Shooto cage and looking to defend his bantamweight belt for the first time. Things didn’t pan out like that as a left hook from Okada (14-4) finished the fight late in the opening round.

As well as earning the right to call himself a Shooto champion Okada can also expect a contract offer from ONE Championship. The two promotions signed a deal which will see all future champions signed by the Singapore based organization.

In the co-main event Kiyotaka Shimizu (22-14) underlined his credentials as a top flyweight contender with a stoppage win that also came late in the opening round. He finished Maeda (36-17) with ground and pound.